Gateshead Central and Whickham: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Gateshead Central and Whickham is represented in the House of Commons by Mark Ferguson (Labour). On 4 July 2024 Mark Ferguson (Labour) won 18,245 votes, 45.4% of the valid vote; Damian Heslop (Reform UK) came second with 8,601. 40,217 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 69,827, 57.6% of those registered. The majority was 9,644.
Key figures
What the figures show
Compared with other constituencies, Gateshead Central and Whickham has the 35th lowest median house price of the 575 constituencies with this figure (£164,250).
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £164,250 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £134,000. The highest March-year median in the series was £170,000, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 35th lowest of 575 constituencies. 1,088 sales were registered in the period, against 1,290 in the year to March 2025.
Full-time employees living in Gateshead Central and Whickham had median pay of £33,477 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £32,431. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £33,584. The residents' figure ranks 64th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
71.6% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±6.2 points). 21.2% were economically inactive.
In 2024/25, 29.1% of children under 16 in Gateshead Central and Whickham (5,296) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 22.2% in 2021/22 to 25.1% in 2024/25.
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 102,168; the estimate for 2014 was 100,589. There were more residents aged 65 and over (19,014) than children under 16 (18,177).
Workplaces in Gateshead Central and Whickham accounted for 66,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 4,275 local units for March 2026.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 2,745 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 4.2%. That is up from 2,685 twelve months before.
At the 2021 Census there were 44,309 households and 2,365.6 residents per square kilometre; 28.1% of workers mainly worked from home and 22.3% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
MP
Mark Ferguson, Labour
- MP for Gateshead Central and Whickham since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Mark Ferguson on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Mark Ferguson in Hansard, from 12 October 2026 to 21 October 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 194 spoken contributions by Mark Ferguson since 4 July 2024.
I hope that I will not detain the Committee for long in dealing with the two clauses. Clause 1 is the only operative clause of the Bill.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is a pleasure to close what has been a genuinely fascinating debate. I give thanks to hon. and right hon. Members from all parts of the House for their thoughtful contributions, in addition to their support for this worthwhile and historic piece of legislation.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I know the right hon. Gentleman has strong views on this issue, and I am glad he has had an opportunity to contribute to the debate. I am sure he will continue to contribute. I take his point, but I do not entirely agree.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Opher) for securing the debate, and I thank Members for their contributions to what has been, unsurprisingly, an interesting and enlightening discussion.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The hon. Lady invites me to speculate; I think that the Prime Minister was quite clear this afternoon. I will finish by referring to something that the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 27 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Ferguson | Labour | 18,245 | 45.4% | −1.7 |
| Damian Heslop | Reform UK | 8,601 | 21.4% | +17.5 |
| Ron Beadle | Liberal Democrat | 4,987 | 12.4% | +0.2 |
| Nicholas Oliver | Conservative | 4,628 | 11.5% | −21.5 |
| Rachel Cabral | Green Party | 3,217 | 8.0% | +4.2 |
| Norman Hall | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 369 | 0.9% | |
| Graham Steele | Save Us Now | 170 | 0.4% |
Result summary as published: Lab hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 45.4% | Reform UK 21.4% | 9,644 | 57.6% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Labour 47.1% | Conservative 33.0% | 5,911 | 59.2% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Gateshead Central and Whickham lies within Gateshead.
- Gateshead E08000037
Who has power over Gateshead Central and Whickham
Every body that makes decisions for Gateshead Central and Whickham, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- North East Mayoral Combined Authority mayoral combined authority
- Northumbria Police police force
- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust NHS
- NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board NHS
- North East in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Gateshead Central and Whickham this page: Mark Ferguson (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Gateshead Central and Whickham?
Mark Ferguson (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Gateshead Central and Whickham?
The House of Commons Library records 18,245 votes for Mark Ferguson of Labour and a majority of 9,644; 57.6% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Gateshead Central and Whickham?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,745, 4.2% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Gateshead Central and Whickham?
£164,250: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Gateshead Central and Whickham?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £33,477 (April 2025).
How many children in Gateshead Central and Whickham live in low income families?
5,296 children under 16, 29.1%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Gateshead Central and Whickham?
102,168 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.